Chapel

Donated by Bill and Mildred Hudson in 1963, the stained glass window in our Chapel was located in the original Artesia Memorial Hospital on Roselawn. The beautiful glass was designed to celebrate the harmony of faith and medicine. It was moved to the new Artesia General Hospital, built in 1981, and now graces the Chapel of the most recent hospital expansion.

Artesia General Hospital recognizes that meeting the spiritual and religious needs of our patients and their families is an important part of caring for the whole person.

The chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Chaplaincy Program

At Artesia General Hospital, spiritual support is available to patients and their families. We value a spiritual dimension in the care of our patients and support of families experiencing medical issues. Being hospitalized, or having a loved one undergo hospitalization, can be a frightening experience. Recognizing that in times of sudden crisis, patients and their families will need emotional and spiritual support while physicians and staff tend to their medical need Chaplains are available to assist families in their time of stress. Often, it’s the comfort and spiritual guidance that people receive during these trying times that can give them strength to maintain hope and to recover.

The Chaplaincy Program at Artesia General Hospital is an interfaith ministry that provides spiritual care for patients, families and staff. The Chaplaincy team consists of active volunteer clergy members, who include priests, ministers, pastors and deacons who are on call on a rotating basis and available 24 hours a day. Clergy members receive orientation and training, as well as continuing education and they also meet monthly to discuss the progress of the Program and to find new ways of providing spiritual support.

Duties of a chaplain can include worship, sacraments, prayer and support to patients, families and staff. Chaplains do not replace one’s own personal clergy; they provide additional spiritual support and resources in the hospital setting. Ministers from a patient’s home church are also welcome to visit during a patient’s hospital stay.

Chaplains are part of the multidisciplinary teams, working with our staff to make sure patient and family needs are met. Hospital CEO, Kenneth Randall, strongly believes that local clergy members enhance the quality of care offered to patients by helping treat the whole patient – not just the physical person. “They make up a vital component of our healthcare team. We’re glad to have them with us and to provide this ministry”, says Randall. He goes on to say that “offering patients the opportunity to visit with a chaplain, to help with spiritual healing, is just as important as physical healing”.

At the time of registration patients are asked if they would like to receive a visit from a Chaplain while they are an in-patient. If the patient so desires then a Chaplain will stop by the patient’s room and introduce him or herself. However, if a patient does not wish a visit then the patient’s name will not appear on the visitation roster. Each day, with the exception of Sunday, clergy members make rounds to visit patients and check with the floor nurses to see if anyone has a special spiritual need. They also lead periodic worship services in the hospital’s chapel. They provide help and comfort in times of grief and in crisis situations. Chaplains will also assist in contacting the patient’s clergy or locating a clergy member of their religious preference. Essentially, everyone who walks into the hospital, from family members to employees to patients has access to the Chaplaincy Program.